CNBNews

Media Release

PISCATAWAY, N.J.  – West Virginia broke a 7-7 tie with a run in the 10th and held off the Rutgers baseball team for an 8-7, extra-inning victory over the Scarlet Knights Sunday afternoon at Bainton Field.

West Virginia's Austin Markel led off the 10th with a walk and a wild pitch by Ryan Beard (Point Pleasant, N.J.) moved him into scoring position, where Dan Dibartolomeo drove him home with a single through the hole on the left side for the game-winning score. Rutgers (8-14, 2-4 BIG EAST) came close to tying it up when Luis Feliz (New Brunswick, N.J.) opened the 10th with a single and, after being sacrificed over, reached third with two outs. However, West Virginia reliever Chris Enourato got a hot-hitting Donny Callahan (Sparta, N.J.) to hit a comebacker for the final out of the game as the Mountaineers (20-6, 4-2) earned their first win in Piscataway in over a decade. Rutgers had won the last 14 games against WVU at home. It is the Mountaineers' first win in the Garden State since April 5, 1997.

West Virginia built a 3-0 early lead with two runs in the first and another in the second. The Scarlet Knights opened the second with a Jon Gossard (Harrington Park, N.J.) single and a Jaren Matthews (Teaneck, N.J.) walk and both runners were sacrificed over into scoring position. A Feliz sacrifice fly plated Gossard, before Matthews came home on a wild pitch.

An infield error cost the Scarlet Knights a run in the third as the Mountaineers opened a two-run cushion with a 4-2 advantage.

Rutgers stormed back with a three-run fifth inning to surge out to a 5-4 advantage. As they did yesterday, the Scarlet Knights scored all their runs in the frame with two outs, as Gossard found the gap in right-center field to score Callahan (single) and Jarred Jimenez (Monroe, N.J.) singled through the left side to plate Tom Edwards (West Caldwell, N.J.) (walk) and Gossard.

The Mountaineers countered, however, with a three-run top of the sixth. Following a one-out double, Rutgers went to its bullpen, bringing in Billy Murphy (Cranford, N.J.) to replace starter Kyle Bradley (Howell, N.J.). A Justin Parks single to center scored one run and a Jedd Gyorko double down the left-field line plated two more as the Mountaineers went back on top, 7-5.

Rutgers loaded the bases in the seventh and Enourato struck Jimenez to score a run, but the WVU hurler prevented further damage, getting Feliz to ground into an inning-ending double play.

The Scarlet Knights got their tying run one inning later when Cegles was hit and moved to third on a Callahan double to the gap in left-center field before a sacrifice fly off the bat of Dan Betteridge (Sewell, N.J.) brought him home. The Scarlet Knights threatened for more but stranded Callahan on third in the frame as RU headed to the ninth tied with WVU to set up the extra-inning dramatics.

Beard (0-2) suffered the loss, despite tossing 4.1 innings of solid relief with the lone run given up in the 10th. Enourato (2-0) earned the win with one earned run (two total) on two hits with four strikeouts in 5.1 innings of relief 

Rutgers concludes its nine-game homestand with a Tuesday game at Bainton Field against Wagner, coached by former Rutgers standout Joe Litterio. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.